The aftermath of disaster in urban areas: An evaluation of the 1999 earthquake in Turkey

The earthquake on the 17th of August 1999 in the Marmara region of Turkey took more than 17,000 lives and destroyed more than 280,000 homes. The Turkish Government launched construction projects, but the outcome has been disappointing. Priority has been given to cost-efficient earthquake resistant construction, and functionality was neglected. Important social, environmental, and historical dimensions of the housing were forgotten.This paper presents the results of a study investigating the earthquake housing projects, particularly the Hereke Earthquake Housing Project. This project started in March 2000 and was completed in June 2001. The objective of the study was to evaluate the success of the earthquake housing project; negative points were identified, and the origins of those problems analyzed. Most of the problems were due to the fact that the participation of the general public had not been possible, nor were academic experts consulted. The consequences of those mistakes are elaborated, and what can be done in order not to repeat the same mistakes is discussed.